This invention relates generally to photographic copying apparatus and more particularly to a copying apparatus wherein the area of the copy master exposed to a copying light is automatically adapted to a master format.
Advanced photographic automatic copiers, so-called printers, are in most cases equipped to copy different master formats. For this purpose, they comprise manually or electrically controlled, exchangeable holders for the different copy masters. The holders also include correspondingly dimensioned masks to limit the size of the surface area of the master to be exposed to a copying light. The copying light is usually mixed by means of internally mirrored light shafts in the shape of truncated pyramids, or the like, with their light outlet surface adapted to the size of the mask. If the master format changes, it is also necessary to simultaneously change the mixing shaft or equivalent optical components.